Chapter 1

Anaïs waited in line to enter the club. She looked around, impressed by how many people were attracted to the venue. The sky had darkened quickly and the blue, purple, and white neon lights flashed across everyone's face. She turned to her best friend, Christina and smiled nervously.

"Calm down, Ana, it's gonna be fine!" Chris reassured her. She looked her up and down and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you seriously gonna wear that jacket all night?" she inquired. "Take it off," she coaxed for the hundredth time. Anaïs sighed resignedly and removed the coat. She looked down at her outfit with a pained expression.

"Isn't this a little too much?" she asked. She was wearing a metallic lavender empire waisted top, black cuffed shorts, and black gladiator sandals. She looked at her friend with a questioning look.

"Are you kidding me? You look sexy," Christina joked, knowing how much Anaïs despised the word. Chris laughed and leaned forward, adjusting the matching lavender headband in Ana's hair. They waited a few more minutes until they were finally admitted into the club. Christina grabbed Ana by the arm and dragged her to the dance floor and began to move her hips to the beat. Anaïs smiled self-consciously, still feeling stupid that she was wearing such an outfit. Christina grabbed Ana's waist and started moving them in line to the rhythm.

"Don't look, but someone's checking you out," Chris whispered, nodding in the opposite direction. Ana turned around and looked. She spotted the guy. He had tousled, honey colored hair, profound chocolate eyes, and an immaculately kept beard. He was wearing a black sweater, olive green cargo pants, and black boots. She kept looking at him until she noticed someone approach him. A girl. She had wavy auburn hair, bottle green eyes, and full lips. She had on black pants and a red and black vest over a grey long sleeve. She sat down next to him and whispered something in his ear. Then they both turned and looked straight at her. She turned her head quickly and inhaled.

"It looks like he's with someone, Chris," Ana said.

"Too bad. He's cute," she responded. She stopped dancing and looked around.

"What's wrong?" Anaïs asked, looking around as well.

"Nothing, nothing, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah, come to the bathroom with me," Christina said, trying to mask the urgency in her voice. They entered the clean bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. Chris sat on the counter and examined her nails while Anaïs entered a stall. Anaïs flushed the toilet and buttoned her shorts, adjusting them on her waist.

"That guy was cute, wasn't he?" she asked her friend. All she heard was silence.

"Chris?" Anaïs opened the stall and saw her own reflection staring back at her. She left the bathroom only to find chaos in the club. Everyone was running around and she heard screaming. She looked around and saw people biting other's necks. She saw blood pour from necks and corpses. She was speechless. Anaïs felt a presence behind her and she turned. The guy with the beard stood behind her. She opened her mouth, but she could not bring herself to say anything. He raised his arm, and the next thing she saw was darkness…..


"King, you idiot, that wasn't her!" Abby yelled. She rubbed her temples and shook her head.

"What do you mean? You said the girl that was looking at us," he said, scratching his head. He stood up straight and crossed his arms, looking at Abby straight in the eye.

"I said the one not looking at us," she sighed. He really needed to learn how to listen. He was such a…..guy.

"Well excuse me, Ms. Thing," King said in a girlie voice, snapping his fingers for effect. He huffed and put his gloved hands in his pockets. Abby rolled her eyes.

"So, what do we do with her?" he asked.

"I guess we'll have to take her back to the Hideout, ask her some questions. I mean, she was with a familiar. She could be one, too," she replied.

"Alrighty then," King said, picking up the girl and heaving her over his shoulder. They left the club discreetly, and entered the midnight black SUV. Dex nodded in salutation. Although they had anticipated tonight's commotion, they didn't expect to bring home a pet. They rode in silence, each of them busy with their own thoughts. They arrived at the hideout, and saw Zoë at her usual stake out place. She waved at them, and they waved back.

"Who is that?" the little girl asked.

"We don't know yet, munchkin," King said, ruffling her hair.

"She's pretty. Why is she sleeping?"

King looked at Abby guiltily. She raised her hands as if to say,"It's your problem."

"She's just a little tired," King said hastily.

"Sleeping Beauty," Zoë said, smiling up at them. King and Dex smiled, while Abby raised an eyebrow. They all entered the Hideout and King immediately took the girl to a spare room, letting Abby answer all the questions that were in store. He opened the door and placed the girl on the bed, making sure she wouldn't roll off. He turned on the lamp on the nightstand and the room was filled with an amber radiance. He turned and faced the girl. He hadn't had the chance to really check her out, especially since he had knocked her out cold. She had soft, mocha skin that shimmered in the light's glow. She had cat shaped eyes, and he wondered what color they were. Her hair was straight and black, accentuated by natural tawny highlights. He reached out and felt the side of her head, and sure enough, there was huge knot, covered by her thick, silky hair. His eyes roamed further down her body. She looked strong, but feminine at the same time. She had lengthy, shapely legs and hips, a soft looking stomach, and smooth arms that flexed when she moved. She was definitely a sight for sore eyes.

'Not bad, kid. Not bad at all," King said, stealing one more glance at her before leaving the room to let her rest and regain consciousness.